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Japan tsunami: nation falls silent five years on

Abe, along with other political and business leaders, has frequently visited the disaster-struck region.

“Whenever I go to affected areas, I feel that the disaster is ongoing,” the prime minister said at the Tokyo event, acknowledging the enormity of what remains to be done.

“But step by step, reconstruction is steadily making progress,” added Abe, who the day before said the nation “cannot do without” nuclear power even as he vowed to reduce dependence on it.

On Friday night more than 200 people joined an anti-nuclear demonstration in front of Abe’s office, chanting against reactor restarts.

“I had never imagined nuclear power plants could be dangerous until the Fukushima accident,” said 19-year-old student Shiori Hoshino.

Despite rebuilding in the devastated region, many young families have moved away, accelerating its depopulation amid the broader greying of society, while those who have evacuated want to return but wonder if they ever can.

“I hope people will remember us, that lives of evacuees are still difficult in many ways, including financially,” said 39-year-old Kazuko Nihei, who moved to Tokyo from Fukushima with her two daughters, at a memorial event in the capital.

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